Meantime Carter has starred in Orange:
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Carter stars as Waratahs relish chance to run the ball
January 31, 2010 - 12:07AM
NSW WARATAHS 83 FIJI WARRIORS 15
AN ENERGISED Waratahs side made light work of the visiting Fijian Warriors development side last night in Orange, with the return of numerous Wallabies lifting the side to a comfortable victory.
The match was less a contest and more an opportunity for the new-look back line to prove what it could do. There was little kicking from either side.
New recruit Berrick Barnes had his first run of the year with his new side, filling the No.10 role with ease in the first half and showing few signs of injury, but it was returning Wallaby ? ? ? Tom Carter who stole the show, scoring the first try of the match in a smooth back-line move and having a clear hand in almost every play after.
Carter seemed to embrace his newfound freedom at outside-centre, making the most of the 40 minutes afforded to him on the field by running the ball at nearly every opportunity.
Flaws in the new Waratahs side seemed hard to spot against a weak opposition, but the few opportunities granted to the young Fijian side came through indiscretions at the breakdown. The power of Wycliff Palu and Tatafu Polota-Nau had a significant impact in every forward play, but the referee called the pack up on a number of occasions, giving the Fijians chances they failed to capitalise on.
The game provided both an insight into how the new-look Waratahs side is performing in the lead-up to the season opener, and a glimpse of some of the big names of the future throughout the second half. As the game appeared in complete control by the turn of the second half at 43-3, coach Chris Hickey was able to give 10 of his younger players an opportunity to prove themselves.
With the late removal of Drew Mitchell and Lachlan Turner from the squad, Nemani Nadolo stunned both the crowd and selectors with a scintillating performance at on the left wing, slipping into a new style of running rugby from the Waratahs side with ease.
Nadolo thrived in a game nearly absent of clearing kicks, working with Kurtley Beale and Carter to gain a huge amount of territory throughout the match, and score a stunning try following a 25-metre dash down the sideline. The sizeable Fijian opposition appeared not to faze him, as the massive winger broke through a number of tackles with each touch of the ball, taking valuable territory each time.
Meanwhile, in the forwards, Kane Douglas was again impressive, as the junior player proved once more his ability to rise and play at any level. Douglas took one of the bigger hits of the night, stopping one of the larger Fijian forwards in his tracks.
The side will now move down to Canberra, where they face their first real test of the year against a full-strength ACT Brumbies.
WARATAHS 83 (Peter Betham 2, Chris Alcock 2, Adam D'Arcy 2, Tom Carter, Al Baxter, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Nemani Nadolo, Kurtley Beale, Damien Fitzpatrick, Josh Holmes tries; Berrick Barnes 4 cons, Daniel Halangahu 4 cons, Brendan McKibbin con) d FIJI 15 (Anthony Wise, Mano Tamava tries; Koroi Yavala con, pen) at Wade Park, Orange.
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Looks good, feels good, smells good - seen it all before.